Sullivan Leads U.S. Boys U19 National Team To Fourth-Place Finish At FIVB World Championship
San Juan, Argentina - August 11, 2023 - Springfield College head men's volleyball coach Charlie Sullivan led the United States Boys U19 National Team to a fourth-place finish at the FIVB World Championship.
It was a historic finish for the squad as it marked the highest finish ever for a U.S. Boys U19 Team in the FIVB U19 World Championship, as the team's previous best finish at Worlds was seventh place in 1995 and 2015.
Sullivan's squad opened the competition on August 3 when they swept Costa Rica before powering past Egypt in straight-sets the following day. On August 5, the United States put together a remarkable performance in a three-set victory over host Argentina in front of over 5,000 fans, before falling to Serbia in a four-set match on August 6. With a 3-1 record, the Americans would win their pool and then swept Puerto Rico in the Round of 16 and bested Bulgaria in straight sets in the quarterfinals to claim a spot in the semifinals. With a spot in the world championship on the line, USA was clipped by France, 3-0, before dropping a hard-fought 3-1 decision to Korea in the bronze medal match.
Last August, this group qualified for the FIVB World Championship after they became the first U.S. team to win the Pan American Cup in Guatemala. Coaching some of the top young talent in the country as the national team pipeline, Sullivan is the only Division III men's volleyball head coach to ever be the U19 national team head coach.
Previously, Sullivan spent time with the U.S. Men's National Team as a consultant coach during the 2015 FIVB World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games, and served as the head coach for the United States men's volleyball team at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada. Additionally, in the Summer of 2014, Sullivan guided the U.S. Men's Pan American Team to the silver medal of the IX Men's Pan American Cup in Mexico.
Sullivan concluded his 25th season as head coach of the Springfield College men's volleyball team, and has established a pedigree of championship success which includes his overall record of 499-193 for a .721 winning percentage. As a program, Springfield has captured 11 Division III national championships, including winning five NCAA Division III Championships in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018.
In addition to Sullivan, two other Springfield College alumni are involved in the team's success, as Evan Metzger '22 is the Performance Analyst and Rachel Menze '20 is the Athletic Trainer.
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Photo Credit: @volleyballworld
Source: https://www.springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/mvball/2022-23/releases/20230808d7owl9